Shore power can cut emissions from a ship’s time at berth by letting it take electricity from the port instead of running auxiliary engines. But the climate benefit depends on the electricity source, and the equipment only delivers if a compatible ship can—and does—connect. Europe is expanding both port infrastructure and ship-use rules, yet the latest European Commission figures show that shore power is far from universal.
What shore power does—and what it does not
Shore power, also called onshore power supply (OPS), shore-side electricity, cold ironing or alternate marine power, supplies a berthed ship with electricity from land. The ship can then reduce or stop using its auxiliary generators for onboard electrical needs while it is connected.
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That can reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), sulphur oxides (SOₓ) and particulate matter from berth operations. It can also reduce noise. The benefit is limited to the operations that shore electricity replaces: it does not eliminate a ship’s emissions while sailing, nor does OPS address cold-start emissions. The European Environment Agency identifies cold starts as outside the current function of OPS.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThere is no single emissions-reduction percentage that applies to every ship and port. The result depends on how much onboard generation is displaced, how often the vessel connects, and how the electricity is generated. If the grid electricity is carbon-intensive, the climate benefit can be smaller than the local air-quality improvement.
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Will ships actually plug in?
Some do, but an installed berth is not the same thing as a berth in regular use. In its page accessed in 2026, the European Commission’s Blue Economy Observatory reports the following deployment and readiness figures:
| Measure | Reported figure | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| TEN-T core ports equipped with OPS | 71 of 179 ports; 461 berths | Infrastructure presence, not how often it is used |
| TEN-T comprehensive-network ports equipped with OPS | 31 of 371 ports; 78 berths | Infrastructure presence, not energy delivered or emissions avoided |
| European cruise ports with at least one OPS-enabled berth | 11 ports | Availability at some cruise berths, not a measure of ship connections |
| Cruise ships reported as plug-ready | 30% of ships, representing 40% of cruise-sector capacity | A readiness estimate attributed to CLIA, not a usage rate |
| Cruise-fleet capacity expected to be plug-ready by 2028 | Around 75% | A CLIA forecast, not a realized result |
These figures describe different things: port equipment, berth availability and vessel readiness. They do not show how much electricity ships have taken from shore. A vessel can be plug-ready without calling at a suitable berth, and an equipped berth can sit unused if calls, schedules or technical arrangements do not line up.
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The Commission’s deployment figures are a current snapshot, not a time series. The European Environment Agency’s 2024 report gives different counts—61 of 173 core ports and 21 of 366 comprehensive-network ports. Because those figures use a different publication context and network denominators, they should not be combined with the Commission’s counts to claim a growth rate.
Why installation does not guarantee use
Grid access and project economics
A port installation may need a high-capacity grid connection, transformers or frequency converters, control equipment, connection boxes, and cable reels and connectors. The required power and electrical characteristics depend on the vessel and installation. The IMO GreenVoyage2050 overview cautions that costs vary considerably with grid availability and power requirements, so a single project-cost figure would be misleading.
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The European Commission’s 2024 port electricity commercial-model study identifies funding constraints, delays in expanding grid capacity and difficulty defining viable business models as barriers. A port needs a workable plan not only to build the system, but also to operate it and recover its costs.
Ship and berth compatibility
Both sides of the connection have to match. Voltage, frequency, power demand, connectors and operating procedures must be compatible between ship and berth. Shore-side equipment without compatible vessels may see little use; a ship fitted to connect cannot rely on shore power if its ports of call lack suitable equipment.
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Coordinating calls and capacity
Ports, terminals, utilities and ship operators need to coordinate investment and expected demand. A system sized for one mix of vessels or call patterns may not suit another. Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 explicitly aims to avoid underused installations, while Regulation (EU) 2023/1805 recognizes coordination and stranded-investment risks. This is why berth counts alone cannot establish utilization.
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What EU rules require
EU law addresses both port provision and ship use, but through separate regulations with different scopes. The requirements are not blanket obligations for every port, berth or vessel.
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| Regulation | Who or what it addresses | Key requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Regulation (EU) 2023/1804, the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) | Port infrastructure at covered TEN-T maritime ports, subject to activity thresholds and specified vessel categories | Member States must ensure shore-side electricity can serve at least 90% of qualifying annual calls by covered seagoing container and passenger ships. Each TEN-T core inland-waterway port must have at least one installation by 31 December 2024; each comprehensive-network inland-waterway port by 31 December 2029. |
| Regulation (EU) 2023/1805, FuelEU Maritime | Ship-side behavior for covered ships, according to vessel category, size, port coverage and applicable dates | Covered ships must use OPS or zero-emission technology at berth, subject to defined exceptions and the regulation’s conditions. |
AFIR’s 90% figure is a capacity target for qualifying calls in its specified scope, not a promise that every ship will connect or that 90% of all port calls across Europe will use shore power. FuelEU Maritime’s use obligation likewise has scope conditions and exceptions. A ship operator checking a particular voyage needs to consult the applicable articles and amendments, rather than infer compliance from these broad summaries.
How to judge whether a port project will work
A credible project needs more than an announced installation. The useful questions are whether the equipment will match actual traffic, whether the grid can support it, and whether ships have a reason and ability to connect.
- Expected compatible calls: Which vessel types call at the port, how often, and how long do they occupy suitable berths?
- Grid capacity: Is adequate power available at the required times, including peak demand?
- Compatibility: Do the port system and expected vessels match in power, voltage, frequency, connectors and operating arrangements?
- Economics and funding: Who pays for installation and operation, and how will the project cover ongoing costs?
- Electricity source: What is the carbon intensity of the electricity supplied?
- Scope of the benefit: Does the proposal displace generator use only at berth, or does it address other phases of ship operation too?
Shore-side electricity is one way to electrify the ship-port connection, not a universal fit for every vessel or port. EMSA also identifies options such as battery charging, battery swapping, power banking and microgeneration; these are alternatives to assess for particular use cases, not automatic substitutes for conventional OPS.
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Yes, where a compatible ship has access to a usable connection and the operational and financial arrangements make plugging in practical. EU rules are intended to expand infrastructure and, for covered ships and situations, drive use. But Europe’s reported port and berth counts still show uneven coverage, while readiness figures do not establish actual connection rates.
The strongest case is specific: a port with adequate grid capacity, equipment matched to frequent vessel calls, and a workable operating model can reduce berth emissions when ships connect. Without those conditions, shore power risks becoming infrastructure that exists on paper but delivers little electricity.
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